Ore-separator



Patented February 16, 1904,.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

HENRY .IUDSON BURROUGHS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

ORE-SEPARATOR.'

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 752,027, dated February16, 1904.

' Application filed January 28, 1903. Serial No. 140,861. (No model.) I

.To a/ZZ {Uh/0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY JUDsoN BUE- Rouens, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles andState of California, have invented new and useful Improvements inOre-Sepvara-tors, of which the following is a full, clear,

vide mechanisms or devices for adjusting ori raising and lowering thecylindrical watertank of the separator relative to the mercury orquicksilver tank, the adjusting means being such that they will occupybut little space, will not be easily injured, and are very positive andsatisfactory in operation.

With these and other objects of a similar nature in view my inventionconsists in the peculiar construction.' combination, and arrangement ofparts, as will be hereinafter described in this specification,delineated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the appendedclaims.

Although I have hereinafter shown and described one specific embodimentof my invention, I do not wish to be considered -as limiting 1 myself tothe precise details thereof, as there may be modifications andvariations in some.

respects without departing from the spirit of the invention orsacriiicing any of the advantages thereof. l

Y Reference is to be hadto the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indidatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a top plan view of an ore-separator embodying my invention.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, and Fig. 3 is a central verticalsectional view of the feed-pipe and funnel therefor.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein lan embodiment of my invention isillustrated, the

letter A designates the frame of the separator, which is constructed ofany suitable material, such as wood or metal, and, as shown, in thepresent instance it is formed of top and bottom frames 1 and 2,respectively, substantially quadrantal in shape, such frames beingspaced apart and connected by vertical standards 3. A beam or brace ofsimilar material, as at 4, connects the vertical standards centrallythereof, and a similar beam, as at 5, eX- tends transversely of the topframe l. Resting on the bottom portion ofthe aforesaid main frame, asshown at 6, is a relatively shallow pan approximately circular incontour,v

adapted when the separator is to be used to contain mercury orquicksilver, and for the sake of convenience I shallhereinafterdesignate this receptacle the mercury-pan. Suspended abovethe mercury-pan is a cylindrical casing 7, open at both ends, the saidcasing or cylinder being of substantially the same dimensionstransversely as the aforesaid mercury-pan, the lower edge-of saidcylinder 7 being 'adaptedto be'brought into contact with the upper edgeof the mercury-pan 6 and held,

in such abutting position, so as to form a tight joint therewith, themercury-pan and the cyl-- inder in s'uch -instance being to allintentsand purposes one vessel. supported intheframevvork in such mannerthat it may, be adjusted vertically relative to the aforesaidmercury-pan, and means employed for accomplishing such an adjustment areclearly shown in Figs. l and 2. Secured to each corner of the topportion of the aforesaid main frame are plates, as shown at 8, eX-tending inwardly ,and carrying at their ends collars or sleeves, as at9, which collars or sleeves are preferably interiorly screw-threaded andform bearings for the screw-rods 10. Such screw-rods are in turn attheir lower ends connected with the aforesaid cylinder 7 by means of thebrackets 11, which are provided at their outer ends with sleeves orcollars 12. As will be observed by reference to This open cylinder isFigs. 1 and 2, there are four of these screwrods and four correspondingbrackets,- the said brackets extending radially from .the cylinder.Mounted approximately near the top of each of the aforesaid screw-rodsis-a-.horizontally-disposed sprocket-wheel 13, the teeth of which areadapted to engage the` endless chain 14, which extends around theaforesaid sprocket-wheels. It Will further be seen that one of theaforesaid screw-rods 10 is provided with a hand turning-wheel 15, bymeans of.A

which the aforesaid screw-rod carrying said wheel 1s turned or revolved1n its bearing.

. By turning the wheel the chain is caused to shaft 25 and supportedhorizontally on the topy travel around said sprocket-wheel and in doingso will cause the revolutionY of each. of the aforesaid screw-rods 10 inthe collars or brackets of the cylinder, which will consequently causethe aforesaid cylinder to be raised or lowered vertically relative tothe mercurypan.

Extending upwardly from..the` transverse standards or beams of the topframe 1, approximately centrally thereof, are the brace-rods 16, whichsupport at their upper terminals a collar, as at 17. This collar 17 inturn-forms a 'bearing for the funnel portion 18 of the feedafterdescribed, and to cause a revolutionof the fan or blades I have secured.rigidlyto the` upper end of the aforesaid tubular shaft 19 ahorizontally-disposed bevel-gear 23, which is adapted to be driven by asimilar verticallydisposed bevelgear 24-` meshing therewith. It will beseen by reference to Fig. 2 that the gear 24 is revolved through themedium of a of theframe 1 in bearings or clamps 26, such shaft beingturned or driven from a belt-pulley 27 by power obtained from. anysuitable source.

From the above description of the construction of the machine and thearrangement. of the parts the operation may -be readily .understood.The. precious-metal-bearing material. is fed into the machine throughthe funnel-18 and drops down through the tubular shaft 19. Thecylindrical shell or casing 7 having inthe meantime been screwed oradjusted sothat it abuts or. contacts with thel mercury-pan, as abovedescribed, and the pan 6 having therein mercury or4 Quicksilver,`Wateris pouredin orv supplied tothe cylinder-7 Whenthe metal-r;

bearing material has been emptied into the 'cylinder `through the funnel1S-and the shaft vor-foreign matter which has been separated from thegold will rest upon the mercury in the pan. When it is desired to removesuch foreign matter from the pan, it is only necessary to elevate thecylindeiI through the medium of the mechanism before described, and thewater will immediately rushout through the opening or spacethus formedbetween the mercury-pan and the cylinder and carry with it such foreignmatter.l The mercury-pan may then be removed and the gold collected inthe usual manner. v

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent- 1. A separator comprising a main frame, a two-partseparating-tank therefor, means for adjusting one yportion of saidseparating-tank vertically relative to the other, a feeder for saidtank, `and means for revolving the feeder, substantially` as set forth.

2. A separator comprising a main frame, a tank formed of two portions,an upper open portion and a lower pan-like portion, means for adjustingthe upper portion vertically relative to the. other pan portion, suchmeans comprising bearing-brackets secured to said upperportion,-.bearings mounted on the main frame, screw-rods extendingthrough the said bearings on the. main. frame and engaging withthebrackets on the upper portion of the tank, sprocket-gears carried bysaid screwrods, and an-endless chain extendingaround said gears, theconstruction being such that when the chain is in motion, the gears andthe screw-rods will be revolved and the upper portion of the tankadjusted vertically, substantially as set forth.-

3. A sectional separator comprising a main frame, a separating-tank,means for moving one .section of the .tank relative to another, and.means for feeding and distributing precious-metal-bearing material insaid tank, such means comprising braces o n themain frame,

IOO

IIO

IIc

ing said. vtubular lshaft, substantially as set forth;. A

4.. Aseparator comprising a two-part tank, means for adjusting. one of.said parts verticallyrelativetothe other, alrevoluble feeder carrying afan extending into said tank, and means for revolving said feeder,substantially as set forth.

5. A separator comprisinga two-part tank, means for adjusting one ofsaid parts vertically relative to the other, a revoluble feeder carryinga fan extending into said tank, means for revolving said feeder, saidmeans comprising a bevel-gear carried by said feeder, a second gearintermeshing with the bevelgear of the feeder, and means for revolvingthe second gear, substantially as set forth.

6. In a separator, a tank formed of sections, and screw-rods connectedwith o ne section of the tank for adjusting said section relative toanother section of the tank, substantially as set forth.

7. In a separator, a main frame, a separating-tank formed of twosections, and means mounted on the main frame and connected with one ofthe sections of the tank for adjusting said tank-sections verticallyrelative to the'unconnected tank-section, substantially as set forth.

8. In a separator, a tank formed of two sections, and mechanismincluding a plurality of sprocket gear-wheels, and an endless drivechainextending around vsaid sprocket-wheels, for adjusting one section of thetank relative to the other, substantially as set forth.

9. A separator comprisinga main frame, a separating-tank formed of twoportions,apan like portion and a cylindrical portion mounted above thepan-like portion, and mechanism mounted onrthe main frame and connectedwith the cylindrical portion of said tank, for adjusting saidcylindrical portion vertically relative to the pan-like portion,substantially as set forth.

10. A separator comprising amain frame, and a two-part separating-tank,means for adjusting one part of said tank vertically relative to theother, each means comprising screwrods mounted in .bearings on the mainframe, and connected with a portion of said tank, horizontally-disposedsprocket-gears on the screw-rods, a chain extending around said gears,and a hand-wheel for turning one of Y said screwrods in its bearing toactuatethe aforesaid chain, substantially as set forth.

11. A separator comprising a main frame, a tank therefor, a feedingdevice for supplying ore to the tank, such feeder comprising arevoluble, tubular shaft, beater-blades mounted on said shaft at aninclination to the axis of rotation of the shaft, and a stationaryfunnel connected with the shaft, substantially as set forth.

l2. A separator comprising a tank adapted to contain mercury, acylindrical section adapted to be brought into abutment with saidmercury-tank, means for adjusting said cylindrical section vertically,relative to the mercury-tank, a feeding device for supplyingprecious-bearing material to the tank, such feeding devices comprising avertically-arranged tubular shaft carrying a fan at its lower end, astationaryfunnel connected with said tubular shaft, and means forrevolving the tubular shaft and its fan in the tank, substantially asset forth. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification 'in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY JUDSON BURRUGHS. Witnesses:

WM. COOPER, J. R. SANFORD.

